Raptors Roll Call Nov 29 vs Suns

Banks – he had a tough decision to make during the game today: seat #3 or seat #5. He made the best choice.

Bargnani – came out of the gates just the way we needed him to: focused. He kept us in the game early as Bosh struggled and spent the rest of the game going after boards (really!) and staying out of foul trouble. Nice game full of drives that unfortunately finished with ill-advised jumpers.

Belinelli – well, I’ve looked pretty smart for going on a week and a half. I thought it was a waste bringing him in and he’s lived up to my words lately. Not only is he not playing well, he just isn’t playing at all. He looks as interested in showing effort as your kid looks interested in broccoli. If you want to be a shooter, then make your shots.

Bosh – brutal start to the game with no rebounds in the 1st quarter and ending it with 3 points. Unlike the rest of his teammates, he turned it on when he checked back in and ended up with 30/17. This was his 15th double double and he leads the NBA in that category.

Calderon – we needed him today. He gave us 2pts and 7 assists, but he worked his tail off defensively. Yes, he was still victim on most plays, but just as in Phoenix, he accepted the challenge of being on Nash and Amare. Like a broken record, though, good things come out of driving the ball, especially against Nash. Maybe next year he’ll listen.

DeRozan – Lighthouse had a couple good rim rockers today, but he gave everything back by committing weak fouls. They actually even called plays for him today and he looked for contact on a few of them. Far from a breakout game offensively, but he moved a lot more than usual.

Evans – faker that will be back quicker than you think.

Jack – stat sheet isn’t great and is reflective of his game. Silly out of bound violation, caught out of position on D, but he did try the drive and kick. Tough to find people tonight with Phoenix sticking man-to-man when he was on the floor.

Johnson – quickly becoming the working mans favourite Raptor. Nice blocks, only 2 (!) fouls, and the usual dog-after-scraps mentality. He can’t be looked at as a game changer, though, merely a complimentary piece. Now, if other players give zero effort, a complimentary piece to nothing doesn’t mean much.

Mensah-Bonsu – put in during garbage time. No value.

Nesterovic – just not the type of game you need him. Had a fantastic game the other night, but to have thrown him in there against this squad makes zero sense.

O’Bryant – nice suit. Please take Reggie shopping.

Turkoglu- if +/- was a true indicator of effort, Hedo would be at –424,328. Is he another shining example of Bryan Colangelo’s lack of spotting talent in his Raptor years? Hedo looked disinterested, barely moved or contested on defense, made a questionably dirty play on Barbosa by undercutting him on a 3. Sure, he woke up late, but big contract, little contribution.

Weems – stuck on the bench. He better keep hoping he sees Banks in a suit pre-game, because they might swap spots soon.

Wright – gotta back up your words on the court. 10 minutes of playing time with no points to show for it is as worthless as a defensive clinic being run by, say, Jay Triano.